Man in Mapplethorpe photo

At least some members of this forum must have seen the photo by Robert Mapplethorpe called "Man in Polyester Suit". Does anyone know anything about the guy in in the photo? I realise that this guy probably isn&#39;t what you would call a "celebrity", but this seemed like the most appropriate place to post this.

I tend to think Mapplethorpe&#39;s more notorious images of were done for the amusement of himself and his close circle of friends and acquaintances. It is only because of his lifestyle and his unfortunate early death that a lot of more artistically conservative types dredged them up and criticized them.

Mapplethorpe had a great "eye" and did many, many wonderful images of more mundane subjects, as well as a great deal of superior advertising work. It is unfortunate that he seems to be remembered solely for images like "Man in Polyester Suit" and the notorious images involving a bullwhip.

At the same time, I can understand that there are sensitive people in the world and this is why they should be warned before going into an exhibition like that. If there is w warning, it is tantamount to putting an "R" on a movie. Anyone knowingly walking into an "R" movie has no right to send a leter to the editor indignantly complaining about the use of profanity or exposed breasts. Should public funds be used to bankroll such an exhibit? Well, that is another question, isn&#39;t it?

By the way, it is common for artists to create things like this for their own amusement. If you only knew some of the things I have drawn along the way for no purpose other than self entertainment, but I generally destroyed them after the amusement factor wore off.